Minnesota Now

For more than a decade, the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop has provided creative writing classes to people in Minnesota correctional facilities. That work has led to the creation of a first-of-its-kind national independent press.

Led by an editorial board of both people impacted by the carceral system and those without these experiences, Lost Kite Editions aims to publish writing from across genres and communities.

For more about the project, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Mike Alberti, executive director of the Minnesota Prison Writing Project, and Zeke Caligiuri, a documentarian and Lost Kite Editions director of archives.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday morning in a case that could reshape the constitutional right to birthright citizenship.

President Donald Trump, in one of his first moves in office in January 2025, issued an executive order that sought to end birthright citizenship. That led to a flurry of lower court challenges that’s made its way to the highest court in the land.

If the court rules to limit or end constitutional protections for birthright citizenship, that could mean some 250,000 children born in the U.S. each year would be without citizenship.

University of Minnesota professor and constitutional law expert Jill Hasday was listening in on the arguments and joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain.

New data shows federal immigration agents arrested more than 3,700 Minnesotans during their surge to the state this winter. And fewer than a quarter of those who were arrested had criminal convictions. We'll talk with two reporters who dug into these numbers about what they found.

Tuesday would have formally celebrated the farm labor leader Cesar Chavez. But several states including Minnesota repealed the honorary day following allegations of sexual abuse. We'll talk about the complicated emotions surrounding this day.

Heightened immigration enforcement is putting pressure on Minnesota's international adoptee communities.

We'll hear from acclaimed Minneapolis author Louise Erdrich about her new book of short stories.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “What I Love the Most” by Lanue and our Song of the Day was “Dark was the Night Cold was the Ground” by Ben Gateno.

Attorney Gregory Luce is working to help international adoptees secure documents they need to prove their legal status, as the Trump administration pursues its goals of widespread immigration enforcement. The state is home to a number of international, otherwise known as intercountry, adoptees, including the nation’s highest concentration of adoptees from South Korea.

Many people, adoptees and parents included, might have assumed that anyone adopted by U.S. citizens would also have citizenship. But that’s not always the case. Gregory Luce is an attorney and founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center, based in Minneapolis. He has been helping adoptees navigate what’s become a precarious situation for some and joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain the gaps in citizenship some adoptees face.

For the past 11 years, the state of Minnesota has officially celebrated Cesar Chavez, the iconic farm labor leader on his birthday, March 31. Until this year. Governor Walz signed a bill to repeal the holiday, weeks after The New York Times reported allegations that Chavez sexually assaulted multiple women and girls, including a co-leader of the farmworker movement, Dolores Huerta.

The news has shocked and hurt many who revered Chavez, especially Latinos who are sexual assault survivors. Esperanza United is a national organization, founded in Minnesota, that is focused on ending gender-based violence in Latino communities. The organization's president and CEO, Vivian Huelgo joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about how she is approaching the day.

Federal agents arrested more than 3,700 Minnesota residents during the federal government’s surge into the state this winter, according to new data released through a federal lawsuit.

It’s the most nuanced data the federal government has released since the surge and includes the location where at least 3,789 people were arrested, their countries of origin and whether they have a criminal history. The data was released by the Deportation Data Project via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

MPR News host Nina Moini talked to Jon Collins and Kate Martin about their reporting on the numbers.

Organizers with No Kings rallies across Minnesota imparted clear instructions, don’t let the energy fade before the midterm election.

Spring planting season is just around the corner, but with the war in Iran stretching into the second month, Minnesota farmers are facing tough decisions. We'll check back in with one farmer.

State lawmakers are on break after reaching their first major deadline Friday. Our politics reporter Dana Ferguson will have a round up of what they've managed to accomplish so far and which bills are still alive as the session nears the halfway mark.

Plus, we'll meet two Minnesota shrimp farmers who own the country's only inland hatchery. Why they're asking for help to stay afloat and what it would mean for the state's developing shrimp industry if they shut down.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Castles” by Mason Jennings and our Song of the Day was “Saving the Beard of the Dragon” by Purple Funk Metropolis.

The Minnesota Twins are getting back into the swing of things. Their home opener at Target Field is this Friday.

Plus, the high school boys basketball championships this weekend had it all: a storybook ending for a Cinderella team and a last-second steal by a powerhouse.

And the sports world is mourning the loss of two Vikings greats Joey Browner and Jeff Siemon.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined the program to talk about the top sports headlines.

The country’s only inland shrimp hatchery — which happens to be in Minnesota — is asking for help to stay afloat.

Minnesota Shrimp got its start five years ago and they had just started to see profitability when they ran into two big setbacks: the bankruptcy of a major customer and a faulty order of shrimp. It put them on the brink of closure just as things were getting going.

Barbara Frank and Paul Damhof are the owners of Minnesota Shrimp. They spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about how the shrimp farming industry and the struggles its facing.

State lawmakers are on recess this week after reaching their first major legislative deadline on Friday. It's a key point in the session when bills need to clear committees to stay alive. That means we’re nearly at the halfway mark of what’s already been a tense and high-stakes year at the Capitol. The session began amid fallout from a major ICE surge in the state, along with renewed concerns about fraud in state programs and ongoing debates over public safety.

MPR News politics reporter Dana Ferguson joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to walk us through where things stand.